Natural Gem Grade 79.5cts Emerald Valley Turquoise Cabochon (#15)

Natural Turquoise Cabochon
1 7/8" x 1 1/4"

From the Blue Gem mine south of Battle Mountain, Nevada, deep in the heart of Mother Earth, comes a stunning example of what Nature can produce under the right circumstances. This 79.5-carat gem is like none other, and there will never be another, so get it while you can.

$2,385.00

Blue Gem or Emerald Valley Turquoise

Blue Gem turquoise occurs in argillized quartz monzonite cut by two limonite-stained sheer zones, one trending N 35 o W and dipping 75 o NE, the other trending N, 25 o E and dipping 55 o NW. An extensive breccia zone about 10 feet wide is developed between the two bounding sheers. Exceptionally good quality turquoise forms veins up to three-quarters of an inch thick along the shears. Pyrite-bearing quartz veins are closely associated with the turquoise.

The Blue Gem mine was at one time located deep underground, accessed by tunnels as deep as 800 feet. This is of interest because the Blue Gem Mine and the Bisbee Mine in Arizona are the only two mines (of which we are aware) that turquoise was found that deep in the earth. The Blue Gem mine was once developed in extensive underground workings and open stoops. An audit several hundred feet long on the main structure connected to numerous shorter tunnels and several open stoops. Directly above the main audit was a glory hole some 100 feet long.

Duke Goff first noted the Blue Gem deposit in 1934. It was subsequently leased from the Copper Canyon Mining Co. by the American Gem Co. of San Gabriel, CA., owned by Doc Wilson and his sons, Del and William. The company operated the property until 1941 when the outbreak of the war caused a shortage of experienced miners. Both Del and William Wilson were called into the Army for the duration of the war, and this compelled the closing of the mine. Consequently, the lease was allowed to lapse and work was abandoned. In 1950 Lee Hand and Alvin Layton of Battle Mountain leased the mine.

Production of turquoise at the Blue Gem lease in the early days of the operation was enormous. Although there is no exact information, it is reported that the output amounted to nearly

$1 million in rough turquoise. The mine is still active, although Duval Corp is currently in the center of a major copper deposit developing it.

Pyrite in Blue Gem is unusual to see but not unheard of. Very little large material ever came out of Blue Gem, the majority found was small 1-mm "bleeder" veins and tiny nuggets which was perfect for Zuni inlay and fine needlepoint, petit-point and snake-eyes jewelry. Blue Gem turquoise was very popular in the late 1930's and 40's and was commonly used in the Fred Harvey "tourist jewelry" that is so collectable today. Blue Gem turquoise is extremely hard and stands up well to the test of time.

Blue Gem turquoise is a rare, valuable and historic American treasure. Quality Blue Gem Turquoise has been gifted with a wide range and variety of color. Because Blue Gem turquoise is very hard, a high polish is associated with this stone, and unlike most turquoise, won't easily change color. This turquoise has a unique character and many different looks all of which are striking, full of wonder and pleasing to the eye.

Production of the mine started about 1934 and continued into the 1970's. Blue Gem Turquoise is still some of the finest turquoise ever found, and unlike most turquoise mines, (in which the majority mined is chalky and only usable if stabilized) most of the turquoise found there was of gem-quality. Today the Blue Gem mine is not viable; it sits in the middle of a huge mining operation. The emphasis is on precious metals and the extraction of turquoise is considered more of a hindrance in the mining process rather than an asset. Even the ever-popular "Dump Diving" for turquoise through the overburden is not tolerated due to the very real danger of becoming buried in a slide. Insurance factors, equipment hazards, high explosives and safety issues along with a lack of interest from the mining company keep Blue Gem turquoise unavailable to the world, at least for now.

Precious Stones

Turquoise;
Precious stones have symbolic implications. For example, turquoise if a "collective
term for all the precious stones, wealth, or mixed offerings. Good fortune is
attributed to this stone." Both white shell and turquoise are emphasized
in Kinaalda. Pg. 375

The clear, deep, robins-egg-blue turquoise they call
male, and the stone of a greenish hue they call female. Pg. 230

The Navaho; 1946, Clyde Kluckhohn and Dorothea Leighton.

Whiteshell [yo lgai] designates the 'white from which beads are made.' It is
one of the many examples in Navaho where the same word means a part or a whole,
the material or the object manufactured from it. Whiteshell may refer to the
thin, flat, white shell beads greatly treasured by the Navaho and often incorrectly
called wampum by the whites. Formerly, the beads were made of a seashell, doubtless
imported through trade from the west coast, probably from the Gulf of California.

According tla h's creation story, the spirit of whiteshell was placed inside
Moon, which was composed of ice; the spirit of turquoise was put into Sun, that
of Abalone into Black Wind, that of redstone into Yellow Wind. JS, speaking
of the Shooting Chant, said Moon's house was whiteshell.

An indispensable requirement of a chant is the basket; at least one is believed
to represent whiteshell. All the precious stones are mythical basket materials.
Frequently the basket is of one stone with a contrasting rim - whiteshell rimmed
with turquoise or the reverse; abalone rimmed with redstone or the reverse,
jet with an abalone rim or the reverse. Bowls, though not as common as baskets,
may be deific properties. White Body of the fourth world carried a bowl of whiteshell.

A song intoned at the preparation of the War Ceremony rattlestick refers to
Child-of-the-water's queue as whiteshell.

Turquoise [do tliji], 'the-particular-one-which-is-blue,' may be the general
collective term for all the precious stones, wealth, or mixed offerings. Good
fortune is attributed to the stone. A few of the most unusual references to
turquoise are as follows:

Sun gave one of his wonderful children a pair of turquoise earstrings to enable
him to win at gambling.

The hair of a remarkable girl, desired by many suitors, was covered with images
of coyote and birds of different kinds, all of turquoise; and she possessed
a huge disk of turquoise.

Four rattles of buffalo hide are important equipment in the Shooting Chant.
One explanation says they symbolize Big Snakes, another that they represent
Sun's turquoise rattles.

Sun's son smoked a turquoise pipe, as did Frog.

Perhaps the most unusual allusion is that to First Woman, who, in the first
world, was intrigued by a distant fire. When she got to it she found a man,
who said, "Your fire is rock crystal; mine is turquoise." This identification
was cited as a reason why the two should live together.

The Twins' bows and arrows are sometimes said to be of turquoise.

The reference to turquoise as symbolizing green vegetation in Coyote's first
model of the world is interesting.

Changing Woman's home had a turquoise door, and four footprints of turquoise
led to a turquoise room. Black Sky Man pulled her up with a cane of turquoise
and she became a degree younger than she had been when the Sky People came to
her. The cane corresponded with one she gave her wandering people with which
they struck the desert and brought forth water.

A small but perfect turquoise bead and an olivella shell tied on a string make
the bead token of the Shooting and Hail chants. Sun may be identified with whiteshell
or with turquoise.

ABALONE

Abalone [di tcili] is 'the-particular-one-that-is-iridescent, the-one-whose-various-colors-scintillate';
the name probably derives from the stem -tcil, meaning 'tremble.' Abalone is
associated with yellow and with Black Wind, whose house, according to JS. was
of abalone.

Abalone was offered to Blue Crane to induce him to sing over Holy Man, who
had become ill and weak after his many wanderings.

JET

Jet [ba cdjini] is the black substance found in large deposits in the Southwest.
A soft cannel coal with a structure that lends itself readily to carving, it
takes a beautiful polish. Although jet is the jewel representing black, it is
mentioned less frequently than the other jewels.

When the domesticated quadrupeds were brought into existence, a basket of jet
edged with abalone and one of abalone rimmed with jet were mentioned. Many birds
are now black because they ate of the eggs in the jet basket. The jewel symbol
of the northern mountain [dibentsah] is jet.

At the time abalone was offered Blue Heron for his supernatural advice, a piece
of jet was offered to a bird called tsih.

When Monster Slayer was knocked out for having drawn the figure of a person
on the bull-roarer, Big Fly instructed him to make the offering for restoration
by stringing pieces of jet as tassels of grass.

REDSTONE

Native redstone [tseltci'] contains ferric coloring matter ranging from dull
red to dark pink, often streaked with white. Some of it is probably carnelian.
Coral, introduced by the Spanish, has become a substitute, even being called
redstone. Examples of the role played by redstone have occurred in the discussion
of red; others are the following:

After testing his sons, Sun led them to the edge of the world. There they saw
sixteen poles extending from earth to sky - four of whiteshell, four of turquoise,
four of abalone, and four of redstone. Sun asked them to choose which they would
ascend on; Wind whispered that they should choose the red since they had come
seeking war.

All jewels are closely associated with Sun's house, which they compose. Opposite
it were five mountains - redstone, glittering, abalone, whiteshell, and turquoise
- Sun's mountains, all harmless.

The rattles with which Sun tried to destroy his sons are mentioned in the order:
turquoise, whiteshell, abalone, redstone.

Yellow Wind's house was of redstone [JS].

Among the canes furnished Earth People by Changing Woman was one of redstone.

It is doubtful that agate [no lyini] should be included among the precious
stones. If we do, to be consistent we should include the other kinds of ceremonial
flint, for agate belongs more properly with them than with precious stones.
The following will explain the connection between flints and precious stones:

When Sun was convinced that The Twins were really his children, he placed a
small agate man inside the body of Monster Slayer to identify him with Sun and
make him invincible. A miniature man of turquoise became Child-of-the-water's
corresponding symbol.

The stones of the sweathouse were of agate when Sun exposed his sons to the
heat test; it was expected to destroy them. Although it exploded, the agate
did not destroy The Twins because Talking God had dug a small hole into which
they crawled, and had covered it with four white shells. When the test was over,
the white shells turned into redstone, abalone, turquoise, and whiteshell.

An agate arrowpoint forms a part of the head bundle of some ceremonies. Fastened
to the hair of a patient in the War Ceremony, it represents the flint points
that fell from the breast of Big Monster when he was conquered.

ROCK CRYSTAL

Rock Crystal [tseya'tindi ni, nto li, tseso'] is usually not mentioned among
the precious stones, but has many ceremonial usages. tseya'tindi ni means 'stone-through-which-light-beams';
nto li means 'the-particular-one-which-is-clear, -translucent.' In many rites
it symbolizes fire, especially in the symbolical lighting of the prayersticks,
which may contain tobacco. tseso', 'rock-star,' may mean glass as well as crystal.

A crystal was put inside the dark cloud in which Scavenger was enveloped to
furnish him light.

At creation a rock crystal was put into the mouth of each person so that everything
he said would come true, a probable reason why a crystal is part of many pollen
bags, especially the personal ones carried for safety; the pollen represents
well-being, the crystal the prayer - that is, the word that makes the prayer
come true.

The glass cup holding the chant lotion of the Shooting Chant is a substitute
for crystal.

Changing Woman had binoculars of rock crystal.

The line of crystal on Coyote's model of the world represented ice, the only
association between crystal and ice I have found.

The basket for the emetic in the first War Ceremony was of crystal.

MIXED JEWELS, the tiny fragments of precious stones accompanying the prayersticks,
often indicate that the reed or plant material of which they consist stands
for the jewels. Similarly, the feathered wands of the Shooting Chant are substitutes
for Sun's jewel arrows, as is the rattlestick of the War Ceremony. Sun's jewel
arrows represent the Sun-Wind combination - turquoise for Sun, whiteshell for
Moon, abalone for Black Wind, redstone for Yellow Wind; in the Night Chant,
the jewels represent the Day Skies.

When the pot drum was prepared for the War Ceremony, the jewels stood for the
'floor of the drum's house,' into which the sounds were pounded.